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I will side with PWK, Floyd Toole and HDBRbuilder on this one when it comes to music and physics...

Yeah...Barfly...I have got to watch that one again sometime...

...Just wondering what you think of this book. I finished reading it about a week ago and I think I will reread it soon...lots of good science in this one...

In chapter 20, Toole explains that they were able to quite accurately predict listener preferences for loudspeakers by simply looking at the right combination of anechioc data only...He also goes on to point out that the Consumer Reports way of evaluating speakers was based on some false reasoning. He then goes on to hint that "CU is in the process of revising its evaluation process." This could get very interesting if and when CU puts some actual brand names on the type of measuerments that Toole uses...do you think Bose is preparing a lawsuit yet??[:|]

I bought the stainless steel model...I'm sure it is not the very best quality SS but seems to be holding up well. You probably already know that there is a user forum over at the Bradley website...lots of good info and recipes too...

Dee, it sounds like the Bradley might work well for you. Just so you know, the temp control on the Bradley is a rheostat control, not a thermostat like on an oven. You do have to watch the temp gauge and adjust the control from time to time. Some guys have added after market auto controls which would be nice to have for those overnight smokes...

I agree that a real wood fire does add someting special. But the conveniance of the Bradley is appealing, especially when it is -20 outside[]

Hi Daddy Dee I have had a Bradley for about six months now. Seems to work quite well. However they are built rather lightly and after reading the forums on the Bradley website, it seems they have their share of problems. Customer service appears to be top notch. You do have to buy the wood smoking pucks from a dealer ( or online) and I don't know how handy that will be in your case. One thing to note...because there is no actual combustion of the wood, there will be no noticeable pink "smoke ring" on your finished meat. No noticeable difference in taste. Garth

Hi Doc... I tried reading Don Davis's book...I felt it was aimed more to the pro sound world...and way too much math for me. Read like a text book. This one by Toole is much different. I really think you will like his approach in this book. Lots of graphs and a lot of psycho-acoustical stuff that is right up your alley. Think of it as "Mythbusters" directed at the audio world. He takes a lot of shots at many of the long held beliefs..and provides the science to back it up.

Mike, you are going to love this book!! It is amazing to see what results when real science is applied to audio. My hope is that it becomes the reference book for the industry...

Well yes...and thanks for rubbing it in.[:'(]

I posted this already in the technical section but thought I would include it here as well. For any one looking for the ultimate guide to "Home Theater and multi channel sound, this is the book. Check it out on Amazon...

I got this new book from Amazon a few days ago and haven't been able to put it down. Over 540 pages ...I'm about 3/4's done. What a great read...seems like there is something to learn on every page. Check out the reviews on Amazon. Siefried Linkwitz even gives a rave review. Highly recommended. Best audio money that I have spent......so far[H]

My understanding of this is that it is important that the early lateral boundary reflections or the sound boucing off the walls, contain as much of the spectra of the on axis sound or the direct sound as possible. ( in the typical house, all reflections are "early") The reason that this is important is to maintain the "precedence effect". It seems that our ear brain processors can ignore or mask early reflections in a way that becomes pleasant to our ears. It seems to add a sense of spaciousness that we like. It is why we humans prefer to listen to music indoors. It is why speech becomes more intelligible in a good room. If the reflected sound is missing some of the spectra that is in the direct sound, then our ear/brain starts to perceive it as a seperate sound and the pleasant "precedence effect" is lost. Note that thin absorbers wiil remove only some of the spectra and will cause the same type of problem. This effect seems to be most concerned with frequencies above 300hz. Below this, room modes must be dealt with in some way.

Yes, you can...

After a little "googling" I found that Dr Toole has recently written a book. One of the reviewers on Amazon was none other than Siegfried Linkwitz who gave the book a 5star rating.[]....and I will now shut up about him...

I believe that he is still employed by Harman International as Vice President of acoustical engineering?? Most of what I have read of his work is found in the technical and white papers on the Harman site. I think that before he went to Harman, he worked for many years for the Canada Research Council. He seems to be a great teacher as well as a researcher... (edit) He worked for the National Research Council in Ottawa. He received a lifetime achievement award at the Cedia show in Sept 2008, so he may be now retired?? I also believe that he has a book or two to his name...

Hey Doc...just curious if you have ever read any of Floyd Toole's papers...if not, you really should check him out. I think you would enjoy his approach to all things audio...

I would argue that the only way to truly minimize room reflections would be to make the room itself totally absorbtive. Not practical or desireable to most... Dr Toole over at Harman has done many interesting listening tests where the test subjects would almost always identify speakers with poor polars, as having a lower quality sound. Many of these test subjects were just ordinary folks with minimal training in how to listen. He claims that reflected sound must contain as much of the freq spectrum of the direct sound as possible to sound "right" to most people's ears. Check out his white papers at Harman...

Yup, bring em back I say... Even if Amy only lets them talk to each other, it would be some great entertainment...

Good chance that before your builder is all done, you will find some "extras" for him to do which could, in effect, cancel any credit due you...funny how that works.[8-|] Good luck with your project.

Wow, that must be one huge closet...

Good question Greg. After giving this some thought, I think that the curves on the top and bottom pieces should be traced directly from the template. If you can imagine the "wavefront" at any point in the horn as a bulge or a bubble, it starts to make some sense...at least to me.[*-)]

Actually, I have not visited Ethan's website for some time...seems he has had a change of heart and is now promoting a mixture of diffusion and absorbtion, and not primarily absorbtion. And yes he just happens to have a combo diffuser/absorber unit for sale...It actually looks pretty good but is a bit pricey.

Agreed....but Ethan Winer does not promote broadband diffusion... only absorbtion...maybe because he sells absorbers??